The Hindu : Tamil Nadu budget on February 11

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu budget on February 11

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEB. 7. The Finance Minister, C. Ponnaiyan, will present the budget to the Assembly on February 11. The Assembly Secretariat today said the budget would be presented at 2.30 p.m.

The debate on the Governor's address ends on Tuesday, with the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's reply. The Business Advisory Committee is likely to meet on Tuesday to finalise the schedule.

According to Opposition legislators, the session was expected to end on February 10, but they were now informed of the budget. "We presume that there will be a vote-on-account the very next day, after which the House will adjourn," a legislator said adding, "It is unusual to have a State budget in February."

The Government was considering various options in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections — presenting a full-fledged budget or just going in for a vote-on-account. It has now decided to go ahead with presenting a regular budget and also take a vote-on-account so that the Assembly could adjourn for now. Normally, the State budget is presented in March, after a close look is taken at the Union budget.

Ms. Jayalalithaa has already said the State sought an annual plan outlay of Rs. 8,001 crores for 2004-05. Though it may take a while for the State plan to be discussed and cleared by the Union Planning Commission, the Finance Minister will work on the basis of this outlay. The current year's plan was for Rs. 7,000 crores. A package of welfare measures for those below the poverty line and a fresh impetus to infrastructure development are expected to be the key features of this budget. The AIADMK Government has finished just half of its five-year tenure.

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